Internal-combustion engine



Jan. 3, 1950 w. v. FALCON 2,493,481

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Jan. 2 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l Q k z [I 7' 1 n x I i x I I Ma n W I 2 v (e 4 g g l0 z// fiiweiaor Jan. 3, 1950 w. v. FALCON 2,493,481

' INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Jan. 2, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 3, 1950 U N] TED S TATE'S FAT 'QFFICE INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE William V. Falcon, Revere, Mass.

Application-January 2, 1947,.Serial No. 519,860

l Claim. :1 'My ,present inventionrela'tes to internal combustion engines of the type in which fuel is injec'ted directly into the combustion cylinder by a fuel pump or fuel injection valve. The invention may 'be embodied either in internal combustion engines of the compression ignition type in which the fuel .is ignited by the compression alone or by a timed electric spark. The invention-is particularly intended to improve the combustion so that the injected fuel will be more completely and uniformly burned; there will be less residue of unburned fuel to cause crank case dilution, "and the speed of vaporization of the fuel and combustion of the mixture will be increased, making possible higher engine speeds.

chamber is .hot .from the previous explosion at the time when it is mixed with the fuel, the fuel is more completely :and more rapidly vaporized when .it enters the combustion chamber .and, therefore, the lighter .andmore combustible portion tends to rise to the 'top of the chamber toward the point where ignition begins, whether caused by compression or by a timed electric spark. Also the provision of heat at the time when the fuel is vaporized tends to increase the amount of fuel which is vaporized and reduce the size of unvaporized particles and consequently the amount of liquid fuel remaining after the explosion and thus reducing crank case dilution.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a compression ignition engine, embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar section of the essential parts of an engine adapted to be operated by a timed electric ignition and embodying my invention in modified form.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 looking downward.

Fig. 4 is a similar section on 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to Fig. l of the drawings, at l is shown a conventional cylinder block containing a cylinder 2. At 3 is shown the cylinder head having a combustion space 4 which is located over one part only of the cylinder and is, in general, circular and dome-shaped. Located in the side wall of the cylinder head is a restricted passage 6 by which the combustion space 4 communicates with a vertical restricted passage I, the upper end of which is closed by a screw 8 and the lower end of which leads to an somewhat tapering toward the .outlet.

'18 .and the jet II. The spray nozzle I1] is -a separate piece screwed'into the wall .o'f'the cylin der head and has a central passage I2 which is The jet I! is screwed into 'the valve'body 13 containin the injection valve T4, leaving the annular space 9 .between the jet H and the spray nozzle 10. The valve mechanism shown is of novel construction and forms part of a companion application .filed herewith. Accordingly, .as it forms no part of the present invention, it will not be described in detail herein.

-Fuel is injected under high ,pressure through the jet H into the spray nozzle I'll. When the injected fuel leaves the tip of the 'jet 'Ll it is travelling at high velocity and .carries .air from the .annular space '9 with it into .the combustion space "4, thus lowering the pressure in the passage "I and drawing hot air ,from the top .of the combustionspace 4 through the opening 6. This produces circular movement of air from the top of the combustion space through the .passage 1 and out of the spray nozzle Ill into the combus'tion space. Since the air in the -combustion space is highly heated, the heat which is necessary to vaporize the fuel is supplied more rapidly than it would be if the air were cold and therefore tends to reduce the size of the fuel particles. The vapor thus formed and the lighter particles of fuel tend to be drawn upwardly by the circulation while the heavier particles remain at a lower level. Therefore, as the piston rises and the pressure in the cylinder passes the ignition point, ignition takes place first in the portion of the mixture at the top where it approaches most nearly to the condition of a perfect gas. This nucleus of flame spreads rapidly through the entire mass of fuel and air and results in burning the fuel more rapidly and completely than would otherwise be the case.

Referring now to Fig. 2, I have shown therein my present invention applied to an engine employing a timed electric spark ignition with fuel pump injection. The cylinder block is shown at 2!, a cylinder at 22 and the cylinder head at 23. At 24 is shown a spray nozzle and at 25 a fuel jet controlled by a fuel valve 26 there being an annular space 34 between the two parts. The combustion space 21 is over a part only of the cylinder and is circular in plan view but is somewhat flattened on the top (see Figs. 2 and 4). At 28 is shown a supplemental combustion space communicating with the combustion chamber 21 by a passage 29 in a thimble 30. At 3| is shown a viously described. In this case hot air from the combustion space 2'! is drawn into the supplemental combustion space 28 and is thence drawn through the passages 32 and 33 into the annular space 34 and mixed with the fuel as it is projected at high velocity out of the fuel jet and through the spray nozzle 24. As previously described the vaporized fuel is projected into and I mixed with hot air from the combustion space, and. this more highly vaporized fuel tends to be drawn upward into the supplemental combustion chamber so that the spark is introduced into the portion of the charge which is most inflammable.

The construction shown in Fig. 2 is particularly advantageous because it not only has the advantages resulting from mixing hot air with the spray of fuel from the jet, but also because the spark plug is completely protected from contact with any unvaporized particles of fuel. Heretofore, one of the chief difiiculties with pump injection engines employing timed electric ignition has been that particles of unburned fuel are projected onto the electrodes of the spark plug which immediately becomes fouled and'either less effective or inoperative. Likewise since the vaporization and combustion of the fuel is much improved crank case dilution, which has been the cause of serious trouble with engines of this type, is greatly reduced.

Since the engine embodying my invention reduces the time required for the vaporization and combustion of the fuel and air mixture, it is particularly adapted to use in high speedrengines.

I claim:

In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder block containing a piston, a cylinder head having a combustion chamber, a fuel injection valve and a cooperating fuel and air nozzle in one of said parts, said valve and nozzle having an annular space between them, said nozzle opening into one side of said combustion chamber near its bottom in a direction at right angles to the axis of said piston and in close proximity to the top of said piston in the upper position of the latter, said cylinder head being provided with a restrictedpassage externally of said combustion space and leading from the top of said combustion space at a point remote from said piston in any position of the latter, and to the said annular space between the said valve and nozzle whereby heated air is drawn from the top of the combustion space through the restricted passage and annular space between the jet and nozzle and out through the nozzle and into the lower part of the combustion chamber by fuel injected from the valve through the nozzle, said air being mixed with the fuel as the fuel and air pass through the said annular space and said nozzle, and the finer particles of said fuel and air mixture tending to rise to the top of said combustion chamber.

WILLIAM V. FALCON.

REFERENCES CITED 7 The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 785,166 Haselwander Mar. 21, 1905 887,393 Haselwander May 12, 1908 1,633,541 Braren June 21, 1927 2,316,697 Latta Apr. 13, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 417,306 Great Britain Oct. 2, 1934 

